Title: The Scandalous SpinsterAuthor: Alyxandra Harvey
Series: The Spinster Society #1
Publication: September 3, 2024 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Genre: Historical Romance
Find it on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Blackwell’s | Waterstones
Rating: 4/5★
From Spinster to Scandal…
Lady Clara has a secret.
She may play the part of a proper wallflower, but in reality she writes the scandalous romances taking Society by storm. No one knows, not her fellow members in the Spinster Society, not her friends.
Only her blackmailer.
Luckily, the Spinster Society takes great delight in knocking down the fortune hunters and powerful lords of Mayfair. Who better to deliver a comeuppance than the very ladies who are overlooked and ignored?
So when the need arises for someone to attend an extremely notorious house party, Clara jumps at the chance. One of the Spinsters has gone missing on assignment, and Clara knows no one will even notice her.
Except for Captain Bram Thorn.
He knows there is more to Clara than meets the eye. And he refuses to let her walk into danger—or scandal—alone.
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The Spinster Society
Book 1 – A Scandalous Spinster
Book 2 – A Deal with the Devil
Book 3 – Seduced by a Scoundrel
The Scandalous Spinster was my first historical romance by Alyxandra Harvey and it was such a nice surprise. I loved the story, the characters were so great to get to know and it was also a really well-written. In the past I’ve read the author’s paranormal YA books which I have loved but I’m so glad she has branched out into historical romance now.
Lady Clara Prescott, a 29-year-old wallflower and secret author known as The Nightingale writer of the increasingly popular scandalous romance books is part of The Spinster Society. They are a group of women who take down the most dreadful of Mayfair’s lords and fortune hunters to save the young ladies who have no one fighting for them. Knowing she’s easily overlooked and often ridiculed by the ton, Clara volunteers to go on a new assignment to find one of their missing Spinster members. Finally she’s going to have her own adventure. But to do that, she has to attent one of the most notorious house parties known as Devil’s Night, and go up against a malicious Marquis who may be to blame for several young women going missing. At her side is Captain Bram Thorn, ex-navy captain and the only one who truly sees Clara beyond the drab dresses and spinster persona. If only she could see it as well. But one thing’s for sure, he won’t let her out of his sight and walk into danger alone.
To say I really enjoyed this book is a vast understatement. It was quite the page-turner and I couldn’t get enough of reading about Clara and Bram. The chemistry between them was the chef’s kiss as they say and absolutely loved Clara’s confidence building as the story went on. I loved seeing it! The mystery of the missing Spinster member as well as the other young ladies was also really well-written and plotted out. But the romance still was my number one favorite thing in this book. I truly adored these two characters as a couple and will remember them for a long time to come.
My one and only minor point was that in between the mystery of the missing young ladies, Clara also received blackmail notes aluding to knowing who she really was, meaning her career as author of those scandalous romance books. I was curious to see who this mysterious blackmailer turned out to be and for me it was a bit of a let down, I’ve got to say. I hadn’t expected it to be this person but still it didn’t feel quite right with me. But on the other hand this was only a very minior blimp into an otherwise really enjoyable and entertaining historical romance. I really did love this book and haven’t been able to put it down while reading.
If you like historical romances with steamy romance scenes, a mystery solving heroine and a dashing Scottish captain, you will adore The Scandalous Spinster. It was a promising first book in a new series by Alyxandra Harvey and I’m highly looking forward to the next books. I absolutely cannot wait!
About the author:
Alyxandra Harvey lives in an old stone house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long as they keep company manners. She likes chai lattes, tattoos, and books.
Sometimes fueled by literary rage.
I love the “secret writer” trope, especially since this is historical fiction. I’m glad this first book was such a success!